The life of a MAMIL: it's not just about the Lycra

By Krisinda Merhi

January 26, 2018 — 3.53pm

It's a phenomenon which has taken over roads worldwide, and MAMILs – middle-aged men in Lycra – are now set to take over the big screen. MAMIL, a feature-length Australian film, follows men from Australia, the US and Britain out onto the road, exploring why they get behind the handlebars.

Director Nick Bird says the film is more than just a bike movie: "It's really entertaining – it discusses something that we all see on the road. It's not a cycling film: it's a film about blokes and middle age and what it means to be a man in society."

Sunrise presenter Mark Beretta is a MAMIL without regrets.Credit:Daniel Munoz

The documentary touches on important topics like mental health, masculinity, taking risks and mateship.

"We wanted to find a common element in why people ride," explains Nick. "And the underlying theme was to 'Keep us stimulated, to keep us young, and to keep us alive'. Men's mental health is really important, and it needs to be discussed."

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Sunrise's Mark Beretta is a proud MAMIL. A member of Tour de Cure, he is a long-time participator in their ride for cancer: it is what inspired him to embrace bike riding. But being a MAMIL is more than just a hobby.

"The best thing about it is the camaraderie and the mateship," he said. "It makes blokes talk to each other which is a really rare thing. I've found, for whatever reason, I've had the best and most in-depth chats on the bike. Your guard's down, you're relaxed, and you just talk."

The term MAMIL was first coined in 2009 by Michael Oliver, a marketing researcher from the UK whose work with cycling retailers revealed a substantial growth in middle-aged men buying bikes. One look out on to the roads, and it's clear to see.

"There are so many blokes out there: they're dads, brothers and sons," Beretta said. "I've ridden with the guy who took my kid's tonsils out, I've ridden with Holywood actors like Eric Bana, I've ridden with sportspeople like Mick Doohan."

Beretta admits seeing middle-aged men squeeze into Lycra is laughable. But, it's not a style-statement, it's a necessity.

"I didn't come into it thinking about wearing lycra but once you start riding you just realise that it's the most practical thing to wear. You can't have anything that's going to flap in the wind, you want something that's going to keep you cool and with some padding on your backside which I find vital," he said.

From the gear on their bodies to the gear on their bikes, MAMILs aren't afraid to spend a buck (or few thousand). Carbon fibre frames, wheels, lights – the newer the technology, the better.

"It becomes a race to the top," Beretta said. "You'll see someone with a really nice bike and think 'oh that's what I want'. Unfortunately, it's a fairly expensive hobby. The bike I'm riding at the moment is worth about 10 grand."

But bank accounts aren't the only thing that come off worse for wear when you're a MAMIL. Roads aren't the safest of places.

"Every time I go out there's at least one occasion where I think 'That was close'. Cars don't see you, they go through roundabouts and will run through a stop sign," says Beretta.

For MAMILs, the risk is worth it. "There's a risk to anything. You go and swim in an ocean and you can get taken by a shark. You just weigh it up and the joy outweighs the risk so you keep doing it."

MAMIL will be released in cinemas nationally from February 21, 2018. For session times and to book tickets go to demand.film​.